In this essay, I will discuss the startling differences between two depictions of the story of Judith and Holofernes. “Judith with the Head of Holofernes”, 1495, created by Andrea Mantegna, is a small-scale painting that was completed during the Renaissance. The second is a Baroque painting, “Judith Slaying Holofernes”, c.1620 by Artemisia Gentileschi and is on a larger scale than the version created by Mantegna. Both artworks take inspiration from the religious story that appears in the Catholic editions of the Bible. The story is about a young widowed Jewish woman, by the name of Judith, who murdered an enemy army general, Holofernes, to spare her people from death. I will compare and contrast how the scene has been depicted in rather different ways by each of the artists and the influencing factors that contributed to the overall outcome of both works. I will also be discussing how form and naturalism are portrayed between the two paintings, use of colour, symbolism and religion, as well as the Renaissance and Baroque eras.
In each of the paintings, the figures appear somewhat different to each other, with those in “Judith Slaying Holofernes” looking far more humanistic than that of “Judith with the Head of Holofernes”. In Mantegna’s painting, Judith and her servant, Abra, look statuesque in pose while Judith, as if in pity for her victim, turns her eyes away from the head of Holofernes that she holds above the bag her servant holds open Judith. In Renaissance art,
Judith Cutting Off the Head of Holofernes (Figure 1), ca. 1640,1 is consisting of a well-dressed female decapitating a middle-age man in his bed with the aid of an old woman. The elegantly dressed female using a sword to behead the man is named Judith. The male figure in the painting is
The purpose of this assignment is to present a brief yet comprehensive formal analysis of the work in question, namely, Joos van Cleve’s Lucretia. The painting was completed ca. 1525 by the Flemish artist most likely in Antwerp, where he was highly active from about 1511 until his death in 1540. The painting is oil on panel (75.9 x 60.6 cm) and is exemplary of the early Baroque period. The work depicts at the broadest level the suicide of the early Roman historical figure, Lucretia, following her rape c. 510 BC by Sextus Tarquinius, son of the last Roman king. The incident bears historical significance as it marks rising popular dissatisfaction of the Roman people with the monarchy, and the transition from the Roman Kingdom to the Roman Republic,
In this artwork, the moment of the beheading itself, those things painted are display in a flat stage, emphatically lit from the margin, segregated against the dark, shadowy background. Judith and Abra, who was her maid and stand to the right in the picture, partly over Holofernes, who was susceptible on his back. During the creation, Caravaggio adjusted the position of Holofernes' head as he proceeded, isolating it slightly from the middle and moving it marginally to one side, which was uncovered by X-rays (Bissell, 2005). His mastery of feeling and emotion was demonstrated by the faces of those characters, Judith was specifically appearing in her face a mix of repulsion and determination. Artemisia Gentileschi and other artists were profoundly influenced by this work, and even surpassed Caravaggio's physical authenticity, but it has been contended that none matched his catch of Judith's mental inner conflict (Varriano,
Judith Slaying Holofernes is one of her masterpieces that has been acknowledged as a proper piece to understand the main characteristics of her painting style. Carol Strickland, an American art historian, explains that this painting shows how Gentileschi depicted her subject into the style of Caravaggio, who was her father’s teacher and famous for dramatic lightning (Strickland, 47). Based on these facts, some critics conjecture that Gentileschi may just have borrowed the dramatic story from the Book of Judith to express her technique that resembled that of Caravaggio. They argue that it is unreasonable and too subjective to relate Judith Slaying Holofernes with the identity of Gentileschi. Identity of Gentileschi, however, cannot be separated with the story of Judith and the painting Judith Slaying Holofernes because Gentileschi’s identity severely resembles that of Judith. Their struggle, success leaded by their capacity, and destruction of the gender stereotypes are main common aspects that Judith and Gentileschi share. These qualities further prove how Artemisia Gentileschi was an ideal feminist who asserted her freedom inside an unfair
Judith Slaying Holofernes1, by Artemisia Gentileschi, is an oil painting and was completed in 1620. It retells the Old Testament story of Judith, a Jewish widow of noble rank. An
In the year of 1571, Caravaggio was born in Italy. At age 11, Caravaggio was orphaned, luckily he was apprenticed with a painter in Milan. His work became popular when he moved to Rome. Caravaggio's work became popular for the “tenebrism technique he used, which used shadow to emphasize lighter areas” (“Caravaggio”). This painting tells a biblical story about Judith Beheading Holofernes. In the picture, Judith is the women in the middle that is about to behead Holofernes, the man lying on the bed. The reason why she is doing this because she is saving her people from Holofernes. The women on the far left is Judith’s maid waiting for her to behead Holofernes (Judith Beheading Holofernes, 1599 by Caravaggio). Caravaggio used many elements
I had never heard of the artist Artemisia Gentileschi before this introductory Art course. Of all the paintings and sculptures found within the book, it was her work that stood out and spoke to me. "Judith and Maidservant with the head of Holofernes" is a particularly rich oil painting by the Italian Gentileschi, painted circa 1625 Europe. Her large canvas measures 72 and 1/2 inches by 55 and 3/4 inches and began as a biblical story telling inspiration come to life within the oil. Located at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the painting was a gift to the institute from Art collector Mr. Leslie H. Green in 1952. Artemisia was the daughter of a painter (and caravaggio influenced) Orazio Gentileschi, she was also the wife of little known artist
The painting The Holy Family with Saints Anne and John the Baptist, 1592 (oil on canvas) was created by Italian painter Sofonisba Anguissola (c.1532-1625). It is currently held at the Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, as a gift from Mrs. Forbes Hawkes and Bridgeman Images. This painting is among the unique pious narrative paintings by Anguissola. “The Holy Family” is the last dated painting by the artist. It was executed when she had just returned to Italy after spending 14 years working for King Philip II at the Spanish court. By this time, she had already married to a Genoese ship captain. Her various visits to court and her personal contacts with great painter at that time largely inspired herself. Through these contacts, she successfully stayed in touch with current developments in art. By closely observing this masterpiece, I argue that the artist perfectly sustain the beauty of counter-reformation arts in her work by use of light and shadow, delicate brushwork and accurate proportions of each subjects.
The story behind this painting is a Biblical tale about a strong heroine named Judith, who was known for her bravery and resistance against the Assyrian troops that come to assume control over her people. In this story, Judith uses her wit and seduction to ease her way into the Assyrian troops' camp and continue with a genius plan to execute the Assyrian General, Holofernes. She seduces him, and once he is drunk, beheads him in his own tent, with his own soldiers all around him oblivious (Branch). Judith was able to defeat the enemy and resist what could have been the end of many Israelites' lives. Cranach's choice suggested a political resistance that required a bravery similar to that of Judith's. Small details in the painting such as the bodice of the dress and Judith's jewelry show Cranach's love for a decorative surface, as well as the
I am not an expert by any means of art, however, a few years ago, I was in Modern Humanities, which used art to experience the perceptive and sensitive of humans. we had to choose a painting which was done by numerous artists. I chose the Book of Judith because it was the subject of many paintings, including artists Caravaggio, Judith Beheading Holofernes (1598-1599). I discovered Caravaggio's, the interpretation was strongly believed to be inspired by the assault of a woman, by her father, Beatrice Cenci and the tragic outcome of her situation. However, in Caravaggio's interpretation, the women were seen more in the view men had at that time. The women were fragile and feminine. But strangely, Judith was shown small and pathetic. Perhaps
I will first employ the method of iconography to explore the figure of Judith in the art historical tradition, and how the depictions of other artists compare to that of Artemisia Gentileschi. The theme of Judith and Holofernes takes up a larger space in Gentileschi’s oeuvre than any other subjects. At least five autographed versions of the subject have been preserved, three of which are rightly appraised as amongst her finest works. The subject is taken from the Book of Judith, which 5 was composed anonymously towards the end of the second century B.C and was a vastly popular subject in all art forms and periods.
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, is better known as Donatello, which was one of the most important early renaissance sculptors. Although his work seemed insignificant, the main point of his work were the small details he did to each of his artworks. One of his artworks he did during the renaissance time period was the sculpture of Judith and Homofernes. The day he created this sculpture was1460. The sculpture measured 236.00cm. The median he used was other. The subject of this sculpture was a figure. The location of this sculpture is in Florence, Italy. The story behind Judith and Holofernes comes from the bible-the deuterocanonical book of Judith. Well the bible tells us that the general sent Holofernes, to subdue his
Moreover, the Judith and Holofernes piece was created in the 1460’s during the years of free art. The painting was created because of the lead of religion in Italy. The piece represents victory and braveness as Judith slays Holofernes. The artwork comes from the Bible, “Book of Edith.” The story starts as the King of Nineveh sends his general, Holofernes, to kill his enemies which are the Jews. A woman;
This paper will compare the themes found in the paintings “Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist and an Angel” by Domenico di Bartolomeo Ubaldini (Puligo) and “Madonna Enthroned” by Giotto. Both paintings deal with fables from the Christian faith but were executed during different periods in art. The Giotto painting was created around 1310 and the Puglio painting was executed between 1518 – 1520. Here, these two paintings have similar themes both at the extreme beginnings and endings of the Italian Renaissance, and as such they serve to present an exceptional example of the developments in art that occurred within that time. This paper shall compare
Giovanni Francesco Guerrieri's oil painting Judith With the Head of Holofernes (1626) depicts the Biblical heroine dressed in Renaissance-style clothing. She has impassive, beautiful face. Judith has long, flowing blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and the neckline of her dress is modest. Judith looks slightly pregnant because of the folds of her gown. The sleeves of her dress are large, pink, and puffy, further contributing to her feminine appearance, as does her small, dangling earrings. In one hand, the beautiful woman holds the beheaded face of Holofernes. Holofernes' eyes are closed and he has a snarled, scraggly beard. His face is pale and ashen and blends into the background. The dead man's face is a stark contrast to Judith's beauty. In the opposite hand Judith holds a sword. Although her hand has a golden, delicate bracelet, her arm is clenching the sword in a strong, muscular fashion and the sword is not in its scabbard, suggesting that Judith is still a vital, active warrior.